The Ruthless Elimination Of Self-Interest

Luke 9:23 (NIV) —

‘Then Jesus said to them all, ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.’’

I hope the title of today's devotional hasn’t offended you but rather has got your attention. I recognise that it is a totally contrary value-statement in the context of today's culture and the clamour for 'self-actualisation' and 'self-fulfilment', of finding and being true to yourself.

But Jesus' wants his invitation to us to let go of self-interest to be so strongly explicit that it will counter the enemy's invitation to self-interest which constantly bombards our eyes, ears and minds and saturates the atmosphere around us. Jesus' invitation to the ‘ruthless elimination of self’ is not an appeal to self-harming, but self-disarming.

He presents his invitation as an 'exchange': give up what you cannot keep, to take hold of what you cannot lose.  Give up what has a shelf-life, to receive that which is imperishable.  Give up what is only a shadow, to accept what is real.

Throughout his life, Jesus unveiled for us the sabotaging schemes of the 'self' and offered himself as a scapegoat in exchange for our salvation.

We see how he resisted the self-serving schemes offered to him when tempted by the devil in Matthew 4, but we also read how the great schemer and his human followers looked constantly for opportunities to ensnare him. In one of the darkest hours in Jesus' life we read of his consistent commitment to surrender self-interest when he prays to Father God, 'Not my will be yours be done.'

If we are going to be imitators of Christ and if we are going to inherit the fullness of Jesus' invitation to us, we must echo him: Not my will but yours be done.

Jesus' life and ministry demonstrate that this surrender, this ruthless elimination of self-interest is a daily devotion, not a one-time emotional response.

 Prayer — Father your will be done today, in me, though me, with me, to me.